The Fountainhead (Ayn Rand) - Thug Notes Summary & Analysis

[@mkocel]

WHY IS THIS NOT CONTINUING? THIS SERIES IS BRILLIANT. BRING US MORE THUGNOTES!!!!

[@stanleyteriaca2184]

Agreed. So many books. Like The Hellbound Heart, Doomsday Clock, The Black Phone, etc...

[@bl4bb3rm0uth]

"That's what the book says" Love how he had to clarify that

[@JesusHComedy]

SA-X Artfully Dodging the #metoo movement lol

[@emmathestonedspider8676]

Jesus Herrera Comedy shut the fuck up

[@icecreampimpdeux]

@@emmathestonedspider8676 REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

[@cfryantofficial]

@@balloonfiesta15 Don't you mean the reeeeeeetort?

[@VaShthestampede2]

@@balloonfiesta15 REEEEEEE

[@HELLOWORLD-Domo]

Plz bring "Thug Notes" back... "It just don't get no realer than Greg Edwards"

[@patrickdodds7162]

I love Thug Notes. It's really thoughtful and really funny. It also illustrates a great example of "Don't Judge a Book by It's Cover"! Please keep up the good work, Mr. Edwards!

[@nchlsglchrst]

I feel like a dummy for just realizing that’s the brilliance of this channel hahaha

[@ariwl1]

The Fountainhead is one of the weirdest books I've ever read. It's way more readable than Atlas Shrugged, but it's still hard to look at a lot of these individual characters and actually see people rather than mouthpieces.

[@whitetuxmafiaandfilms5042]

When you really break it down, Ayn Rand wrote a self-insert, angsty, teenage fan-fiction

[@CTCNathan]

+WhiteTuxMafiaAndFilms I'd say that's not giving her enough credit and/or giving FanFic writers too much credit, but she definitely had an issue with Mary Sue-ing her characters in a way. It's not that her books aren't well written though, it's just her characters that hold the books back, and arguably her philosophy depending on how you feel about it. I would argue she could write though, she just wasn't amazing at having more complexity in her characters.

[@drawfiend3104]

+CTCNathan The point was to use her characters to represent what she saw as very specific ideals and philosophies. So yes, the ones she considered the epitome of good are good and infallible, while those she considered are evil and irredeemable. It's highly stylized and she was a follower of the romanticist school of fiction, where characters were more representative of an idea, rather than an attempt at depicting a realistic person. While I personally prefer realism mixed with romanticism, I still think Rand did a good job, since the characters were engaging, at least to me.

[@whitetuxmafiaandfilms5042]

+CTCNathan I mean it's hard to argue that she could physically write a book...but that is where it ends

[@CTCNathan]

WhiteTuxMafiaAndFilms I think she was a fine writer and not many average writers could write as much per book as she did, but had a lot of obvious problems that stops her at a certain point. You don't see many fanfics that are 500+ pages and using decently sized words, as a dumbed down example. I'm not really a huge fan, I'm just saying she had her talents as a writer as well as her points where she was bad. What she wrote was better than 50 Shades of Grey, for example!

[@eulercharacteristic7718]

_"Hey_ _man,_ _you_ _ever_ _heard_ _of_ _free_ _market_ _principles,_ _nigga?"_

[@breakfastenjoyer]

+Euler Characteristic _"I'm talkin about Laffer curves and QE shit my dude...rational actors shit, you fuck with that?"_

[@nurlindafsihotang49]

+K a p p a 7 7 7 like saying there were virgin trollop it was.

[@chrismcgraw2112]

I don't think pity was being used to mean exactly the same thing as sympathy, in this context. Afterall, the reader is made to feel sympathy for Roark as he struggles against all odds, but you never pity Roark. You know Roark knew what he was doing and was prepared for the consequences, that he was responsible for himself win or lose. You felt sympathy, but not pity. Pity is what you feel for Keating when you see that his suffering is all caused by his lack of integrity, by his lack of conviction and his lack of courage. His suffering is all self-imposed.

[@deanwrx7001]

Well said!

[@DeePScharge]

Here, here!

[@brendansheehan6180]

Amen.

[@novikovPrinciple]

Yeah, I think pity wasn't equated with sympathy here. I think what Roarke (Rand) didn't like about pity was that to pity someone also meant to look down on someone. You can't pity your equal so much as you can pity someone who has fallen so low in stature that you can't help but pity them. Rand didn't like that pitying people implied that they no longer had any dignity left.

[@Thoreaux]

Pity is still virtuous though, even as the insulting and undignified version of sympathy. As long as it's implied that by seeing someone's wretchedness you are compelled to soothe it, it's therefore implied that kindness does not need to be earned. The objectivist idea of merit before all is super anti-social.

[@giannistsakalidis85]

could you do thus spoke zarathustra

[@Lyotac]

yessss please

[@zmail8566]

yaaaas

[@maxstirner8717]

+zev piro Shut up Morty.

[@MagiciteHeart]

+dinosavros black Oh my god, please please please! It's my favorite work from my favorite philosopher.

[@maxstirner8717]

baartenkaas Dude, who the fuck are you?

[@JohnSmith-im8qt]

Arnold Schwarzenegger talks about this in a college commencement speech he gave. He hates people referring to him as a self made millionaire. He talks about all the people who helped him on his way up. It's a great speech. Arnold is a great man.

[@johnnygoodman2003]

All of Schwarzeneggers college talks are pre written by someone else just to get the college to pay him. If you read Eduction of A Body Builder, you get the sense that Schwarzenegger didn't agree with Ayn Rand

[@hankrearden20]

I've read Ayn Rand's works, and while I like her novels and some of her sentiments, I can't but help agree with your criticism at the end. We are social animals, which Rand seems to completely ignore, and it is only by cooperation that we survive. Well said sir. Good review.

[@jdraven0890]

+James Estrada I'm a fan of Rand and even her ideas, but I have to agree. Taken to an idealistic extreme, they ignore reality and simply wouldn't work across the whole of society. It's much like in Atlas Shrugged where she did a great job of showing what a disaster an authoritarian Socialist Utopia would be like - but then she sets up her own Objectivisit Utopia in Colorado.

[@shapaza]

Could you do "I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream" some time?

[@drprovocative7188]

YES

[@Theyungcity23]

+shapaza There's nothing to analyze in that story. It's pretty simple.

[@johnathangrishaw3096]

there is much to analyze

[@maxstirner8717]

I love that Priest record, 🤘🏻

[@johnburt7935]

+shapaza Kinda scary -- bad enough to have read it....

[@MusedMedia]

“That’s what the book say” I’m CRYING 😂😂😂

[@LisaSimpsonRules]

The book says that. I can testify.

[@jamesdavidian8451]

That was great.. especially at the end when Sparky said "all OGs know they've been helped along the way." Cool stuff.

[@madmatrix30]

Fountainhead Fountain Fontaine Dear god

[@sparkydoodle696]

Would you kindly?

[@CigaretteCrayon]

Andrew Ryan is more or less an anagram of Ayn Rand.

[@neonryder8897]

congrats, you saw tho obvious

[@Mrs.Sardonicus]

Andrew Ryan We R Ayn Rand.

[@The_Isaiahnator]

Brigid Tenenbaum -- Alisa Rosenbaum.

[@ZeldaboyOG]

You aren't just an Original Gangster. You are a Classical Gangster. Thank you for being so inspiring.

[@SpoopySquid]

well this should be a fun comment section

[@stratojim473]

I would probably recommend just not reading if my past experiences are anything to go by!

[@collectivisedtoothbrush1265]

+Inkswitch the Unicorn ''Anarcho''-Capitalists just like 'Do you even Bitcoin bro?' lol

[@breakfastenjoyer]

+BUBBLEGUM GUN seriously lol >_ let's destroy hierarchies but then we have to establish one for the people_ > pretending this isn't what modern society is built on > _hierarchy for the people_ ishygddt

[@ciarakenny1317]

Inkswitch nah fam. just a bunch of us homies liking thug notes and how it helps us pass classes

[@DriscolDevil]

Mace yes, it is such a horrible thing to try to take down an establishment to form a new one. What good ever came from that?

[@jayadrathabose31]

Feeling _pity_ and feeling _empathy_ ain't the same thing. One stems from condescendense, the other stems from your ability to put yourself in someone else's shoes. Jus' sayin'.

[@drawfiend3104]

+Jayadratha Bose *Thank you*. It was on the tip of my tongue.

[@SturFriedBrains]

Yes, thankyou. I had a much more wordy explaination, but yours is way better

[@zedek_]

Bullshit. What is the basis for your claim? Condescension is not mutually inclusive with pity. Never has been. Further, empathy and pity aren't mutually _exclusive_ either. A synonym for "pity" is "sympathy". If you *have* empathy when you see the starving child, you will then *feel* pity/sympathy.

[@mejsmith1]

Wrong, you can't feel empathy for things you haven't experienced. Empathy means you can relate to what the other is going through. I've never had to live in an unstable country where people starve, so I can't empathize. I can have sympathy and pity for them without any sense of superiority though. That just sounds like some BS used to justify your lack of sympathy and pity for others.

[@robertnewman4854]

linguistically Zedek, your claim is correct regarding dictionary definitions, and synonyms. However, in context Rand makes it clear that pity, as she defines it, is not merely empathy but contempt for someone in a bad situation (typically of their own doing). In condemning pity in objectivism, it's this contemptuous empathy that she argues against. Jayadratha Bose is correct in his assertion within the context of this work. If you desire evidence for this, it can be found inside the book, or from reading some of her other works. Regardless of you opinion of her or her views, I recommend reading some, if only for your own edification with regards to this topic. It never hurts to have more ammunition, whichever side of the proverbial fence you fall on.

[@EyeLean5280]

Just watched Thug Notes on "The Watchman" and honestly, Rand's story here strikes me as just about as realistic. I also find her depiction of the ideal man (rapist, arsonist) as a bit, well, less than ideal. Howard Roarke's odyssey seems a lot more like the puerile fantasies of the insufferable angry nerd in the next cubicle who fancies himself a persecuted genius, than the tale of an actual genius.

[@swng314]

+EyeLean5280 It's not about him being a genius, it's about him sticking to himself. He could have shitty designs and still be admirable to Rand for his convictions. But yes, he is a genius, because Rand wrote him so.

[@thelandlockedkaiju4820]

+Steven Wang I suppose to her subjective standards that's well enough, but anyone can have convictions and stand to them. There's nothing special in refusing to adapt: modifications to paradigms necessary to move forward are infinitely rarer; why stubbornness and ultra-conservative (in the non-political sense) mindsets would be prized over being able to admit fault and progress when the stubborn refusal to do so is the default nature of humans when confronted is, to me, intellectually lazy. Additionally not bending to a change in climate is the furthest thing from objectivism: being able to modify standing models is exactly why science *is* objective, it's not attached to some preconceived truth and too stubborn to alter in light of new information, the way a Randian hero like Rourke very much is. In evolution it's not the one who's most resistant to change that thrives, it's the one able to change in order to be most suited to the environment. Refusal to modify for anything is, objectively, intensely stupid. Clinging to dumb convictions is even more so. I only bring up physical sciences because Darwinian evolution is the go-to explanation for most as to why morally bankrupt behavior is acceptable under Objectivism -- doing so as a demonstration of how you can't have it both ways, that one can't use the principles of a science to suit one's needs when convenient, then disregard them when the mood strikes just because one likes the idea of thickheaded dipshits standing firm in moronic ideals out of this romantic idea that sticking to your convictions should stand above all.

[@swng314]

Riley Vandewater In the novel, it's the others who are unwilling to adapt. e.g. the argument with the Dean early on: the Dean (and others) are so focused on the idea that others had better ideas than them, so bent on the act of copying, that they failed to adapt to changing times. Roark argues in this way: "The famous flutings on the famous columns--what are they there for? To hide the joints in wood--when columns were made of wood, only these aren't, they're marble. The triglyphs, what are they? Wood. Wooden beams, the way they had to be laid when people began to build wooden shacks. Your Greeks took marble and they made copies of their wooden structures out of it, because others had done it that way. Then your masters of the Renaissance came along and made copies in plaster of copies in marble of copies in wood. Now here we are, making copies in steel and concrete of copies in plaster of copies in marble of copies in wood. Why?"

[@aynrandhero8901]

+Riley Vandewater - Agreed with basically everything you said EXCEPT the idea that you are criticizing Ayn Rand. You might be responding only to +Steven Wang's description, but the REASON that Roark sticks to his convictions is that he loves what he does - he approaches it as an art. So, he isn't clinging to dumb convictions, his understanding is deep, and other people's are shallow. Because he loves his art, he is open to other people's ideas, but he only incorporates ideas that are DEEPER and more profound than his. He learns from Henry Cameron, because Henry is profound. He ignores Ellsworth Toohey because Ellsworth is a hack. So, again, you are correct - you just aren't critiquing Ayn Rand.

[@thelandlockedkaiju4820]

AynRandHero That's fair; I suppose I really wasn't critiquing her, or her work, so much as the ideology that informed her work. An ideology that opens itself to such critique by encouraging stagnation for the sake of how it makes one feel -- a key reason why I find its name so contradictory. To critique her work, though, I'm not all too fond of characters who remain largely static and still come out on top. Especially when, as the main character, the arc is yours for the taking. While for Rourke his firmness is driven by his love for his way of creating his art above all else, and that is absolutely commendable even had he remained a failed artist, this is simply one facet of such immobility. Developing as a character and going through an arc rather than starting out as the best but misunderstood and ending up still the best just doesn't make for interesting or compelling drama. For me, from a narrative angle, it makes the story and character read as stale. That firmness stands at the core premise of her work here, such that there's a passage dedicated to making the moral of this morality play explicit, and it's one that reads as firmly anti-development with an apparent disdain for so-called growth. For that fact the message it imparts comes off as impractical idealism that's equally misguided as similar blind ideals that objectivism would stand to oppose. To me that only compounded atop my flat narrative reading as a layer of non-functional hokum the story was designed explicitly to peddle, which admittedly may have colored my perception some, and to be fair it has been some time since my reading, so I may be working from a faulty interpretation. Perhaps I'll give it another read and approach it from a more objective angle. I'll let anyone reading decide whether that was a pun or not.

[@Obzver]

First off, love your series, I'm a big fan of your work. Second I am going to have to respectfully disagree with your comment that Howard Roark didn't believe in helping others or respecting them as they were. It is because he respects man as an individual that he finds pity so egregious. There were many occasions where Howard would help those he found shared ideals with. He helped Steven Mallory when he was going through his own mess and would share what little he had (after the religious museum incident) to help him out, never asking for anything in return. What he says about pity is exactly as you read, "without respect of the man, pity is a deranged feeling". He always had respect for those who had a sense of themselves or those who fought the good fight with the daily grind. The only man who he ever showed "pity" towards was Peter Keating, near the end of the book and who, by his own definition, was a broken man who gave up everything he ever cared for in order to get higher up in a world that never cared weather he succeeded or failed in anything he did.

[@nurlindafsihotang49]

many people failed to see Raynd's subtle potrayal of him

[@igotthejuice]

Gotta shit on Rand a little bit for the weak leftist types.

[@CapitainMarvell]

Thanks for that

[@cemarz]

He's spot on. Your mistake is that you equate (for no reason) respect with helping people. This is a false equivalency, particularly so with Rand. Rand believed that any action of 'helping' a person is an action of trying to help yourself. Nothing else. She did not believe you should actually help or consider others.

[@avadon7849]

@@cemarz this is a legitimate question and not meant to troll. But if that's the case then why would Roark help Keating so much throughout the novel?

[@Radeo]

6:31 Wynand's is probably the hardest characterization to grasp in the novel --- what a great summary of it!

[@komodo7595]

Man I've learned so much from this channel, and especially thug notes. Keep doing what you're doing.

[@someguy2744]

Kinda unrelated, but keeping it real at 4:38 reminds me of Dave Chappelle's "When keeping it real goes wrong."

[@ahikernamedgq]

That was the most insightful literary analysis I've ever heard.

[@jasonfountain_official]

I LOVE THUG NOTES! I've waited so long for this day and you did a good video!

[@NapoleonPicard]

Just finished this book, and I gotta say that this summary is pretty much almost spot on. Great job, sir

[@mrxXJD55Xx]

Please do Flowers for Algernon

[@caseyshirota3979]

Omg yes I love that book

[@michaelbeardsley776]

Overall, this is one of the better summaries and analyses on KZbin of the Fountainhead. Nice work. I would like to point out a few things. (1) Toohey was not one of Roark's homies. Toohey hated Roark's ability and independence. Although Dominique's and Toohey's actions are similar, their motivations are far apart. (2) Pity and caring for others are not the same thing. Empathy is also a distinct thing.

[@mr.nobody2485]

I'm so glad you get this. Thank you

[@flibbettyjibbetts6766]

Their motivations at first are actually quite similar. They both want to dominate Howard: Dominique because she’s been surrounded by incompetent men all her life; the thought of not being able to dominate a man, a man with the highest standard of ability and passion no less, infuriates her. She says multiple times in part 2 that all she wants to do is dominate Howard. Ellsworth also wants to dominate Howard because he wants to extinguish the light of society potentiated by free thinking creators (fountainheads) and throw the world into darkness as a result. So they’re motivations are originally very similar, though the reasons for said motivations are in fact different

[@vblake530530]

Don’t have to like someone to be they Homie. Hell your Homie can the one that shanks Yo’ Ass. A Homie or “Home Boi”, just gotta have had shared some kinda experience with you. Your Hood, your Junior High, local Boys or Girls Club. Or in my case my Bois I went to medical school with or my Residency in Internal Medicine. Mount Sinai School of Medicine, Class of 1984!

[@kyleserrecchia7234]

Great video! On that last bit, the pity mentioned was for someone irredeemable, as it says in the passage quoted. Ayn Rand was not against feeling sorry for people who deserved it or who had the potential for change (and the book makes this very clear in many parts as Roark, the ideal man, does just that) but she was specifically not speaking about such a case. People who are irredeemably bad do exist and pity for them is anything but a virtue. "Pity for the guilty is treason to the innocent." Also, Ayn Rand is not against being generous to others at all. She is actually very much in favor of generosity and her works demonstrate this with many of her best characters being very generous. She just isn't for giving the unearned or undeserved. That's all.

[@breakfastenjoyer]

yeah she's probably the most largely misunderstood writer in modern literature. She was very reasonable beyond politics. I studied her stuff for a while. A good number of gems 👌

[@kyleserrecchia7234]

Oh yeah. One need not look further than the comments on this video to see the typical misunderstandings and misrepresentations about her ideas, not to mention the ones I mention from the end of this video. And I adore her entire corpus, not just her political thought too.

[@marktrella1305]

Thanks for reminding us that generosity and compassion are virtues.

[@stevepayne3920]

Sorry, but you missed the whole point of the book.

[@nazmul_khan_]

@@stevepayne3920 , more like that antithesis of the main point of the book

[@stevepayne3920]

@@nazmul_khan_ Yes. That’s the point I was making. It is the antithesis.

[@JacketsOnFire]

They are weak virtues. Shallow. I always say this to people who think selfishness is bad. If people agree that people should have value, then why shouldn’t I treat myself as something valued? If you see the people you’re helping in need of generosity and compassion, why not do it to yourself? I’m still a person after all. In other words, treat yourself as though you are someone responsible for helping. If people did this, compassion would be self sufficient rather than relied upon. Because if you were in a burning building your values of compassion and generosity would be thrown out the window. Don’t fool yourself.

[@Beowulf54Mc]

@@JacketsOnFire I mean, not really? Some maybe but other people have gone in to help people, even animals.

[@autoclaims3011]

How am I seeing this now?! This is brilliant, please, more of this man describing deep philosophical books.

[@blackoperation14]

It's not that feeling sorry for someone is bad, it's the idea that compassion without respect is condescending. If you empathize with ones problems without respecting the person, then you are simply looking down on them.

[@mastertheillusion]

+Eddie Marz Then it is not compassion.

[@BuFFoTheArtClown]

+mastertheillusion Yeah, it's pity.

[@adius256]

+Eddie Marz That's more nuance than what's actually in the book, though. There's no caveat to Rand's hatred for compassion, it was all black and white from her point of view.

[@Ralndrath]

+Eddie Marz Respect is earned, not just given. I think nowadays people use 'respect' instead of common courtesy. When I see a homeless man on the street I can't exactly respect them because I don't know them. But can't disrespect them either. But still will give them change, because, well. Why not? Perhaps I can respect the fact that they're not too proud to ask for help. But at the time I won't think that. Maybe it's condescending because I am feeling sorry or pitying them, but if it helps them, even a little. Doesn't the ends justifies the reason?

[@blackoperation14]

Ben Agar one thing I've learned is the ends never justify the means

[@rbdriftin]

Seeing a new Thug Notes video is a wonderful feeling

[@danielsdaddy8338]

i know huh

[@prettybad6858]

I don't think I've seen anyone request this one yet, but I would really love to see your take on John Dies at the End

[@aynrandhero8901]

Dude. That was awesome. As someone who has read the book a dozen times and loved it, you were spot on. Thank you. And, you missed the bit on pity. You said 8:10 that Ayn Rand suggested that "feeling sorry for others is bullshit." That isn't what she meant or what she wrote in that quote you used. She was saying that when you feel sorry for someone who is so f%$#ed up that they are hopeless and worthless, it is a sad, sad thing. You should NEVER WANT to feel that feeling. Pity is a sad, tragic feeling that we should wish never to experience - because we never want another human to be in such a sad state of self. Similarly, Ayn Rand would not and did not say that "being generous to others is for bitches." Roark was very generous with Wynand, and Steven Mallory for that matter, and even Peter Keating. He just doesn't take his value as a person from his generosity - he takes it from his creativity. Like YOU in this video - you created something kick ass beautiful. You created something truly valuable. You ought to be truly proud of it, as I'm sure you are. Was it generous of you to make the video? Maybe, maybe not. I don't care about your generosity, but the fact that you created something great. THAT is what Ayn Rand is all about. Peace out!

[@RogerFusselman]

I've been an Objectivist for decades now, and I can tell you Thug Notes did a largely accurate job on the summary and on some of the analysis, particularly the characters. That's pretty amazing an act of summarizing, given that this is a novel of over 600 pages. Thug Notes makes some minor errors: 1) there's nothing in the novel against helping others, and in fact Roark does help a struggling artist named Steven Mallory; 2) the pity remark was meant in the context of Peter Keating falling immensely low for all his repeated betrayals of Roark and of himself, and it's not meant to suggest that forgiveness is wrong, as they do the video; and 3) it's better to review "The Fountainhead" as its own work rather than bring in aspects of Objectivism not really covered in the "The Fountainhead." I'd say everyone should read this novel; it's a must for an especially cool life, and reading is mandatory if you're going to review it in any context.

[@bobthemonitor9697]

Could you do The Epic of Gilgamesh?

[@falleneldor]

+Bob the Monitor That would be awesome. Could do a whole series including the Enuma Elish, and their relationship with Genesis.

[@Capriceious]

GIRUGAMESH

[@flashgmaing2967]

ask and thou shalt receive

[@DSQueenie]

They've done it now.

[@EddieStar1]

another classic. been waiting forever for thug notes.💯

[@wanderingdude777]

I'd like to put something out there: you say there's no one like Roarke, no one who keeps to their ideal no matter who tries to get in their way. I'd say there are, but often they're wrong about that ideal. Imagine this: Suppose we take Roarke, and the only thing we change about him is the end product he creates, where before he created objectively perfect buildings, but in this instance, he produces sub-par work. The mind-set would be the same: Roarke would think his ideal is flawless, and would never accept criticism, and end up being a hindrance to society. We see this in real life occasionally, people who are so convinced of themselves that any imperfections are glossed over as "unique traits", and thus end up ruining themselves and everyone associated with them. The only reason why The Fountainhead works is because Roarke's ideal just happens to be "correct" and "perfect", but if it were any other way, he'd be just another delusional idealist.

[@FoxWinter]

+wanderingdude777 My favorite aspect of Roarke is that he completely defies Objectivism's love affair with Anarcho Capitalism. He is a superman in that he refuses to change hs product in such a way as he can SELL it. He literally defies the market at every turn because he refuses to adapt. Roarke is a panda, dying from overspecialization. Why did she write him this way and exemplify him as a hero? Because she is an idiot whose entire philosophy is warmed-over Nietzsche that misses the point.

[@maxstirner8717]

+Fox Winter My man!

[@maxstirner8717]

+Fox Winter High five bro, leftist salute!

[@wanderingdude777]

Fox Winter huh, never thought about it like that, good one

[@fakjbf3129]

That last part is something so many people get wrong about Rand, though it doesn't help when even people who say they agree with her get it wrong as well. That quote is saying that feeling pity for someone is doing them is disservice. True pity means that you aren't seeing them as a real person, that you're defining them by their circumstances. And that's not what you should be doing, you should always be seeing people as people, and instead of feeling sorry for someone you should get up and do something about it.

[@themoleman6806]

There's a bit in Atlas Shrugged where one of the heroes helps out a homeless man. You just made that part make sense. Thanks.

[@MrHeartofdavid]

Wow that was to coolest presentation of The Fountainhead I've ever heard. One of my faves

[@EgalitarianElf]

I love this forum! I have never heard of many of these books before and I hope I can catch up with all of you all. I'm definitely looking forward to making a list of good reads for the summer!

[@sinecurve9999]

The Moon is a Harsh Mistress!

[@CybermanKing]

+sinecurve9999 Literally anything from Heinlein.

[@sinecurve9999]

Cyberman King Literally!!

[@daveholden6299]

TANSTAAFL!!!

[@dvepps6780]

+Dave Holden unless u are in the economic 1st percentile or a multinational corporation based in Ireland. the free buffet is off-shore tax shelters

[@daveholden6299]

+DV “Eppish” Epps You apparently dont know how taxes work.

[@Eco419]

loved that last part ,is a good way to explain pity

[@M2Mil7er]

I borrowed Atlas Shrugged from a state funded library. I learned that Objectivists need to receive empathy and altruism more than most.

[@bumblebee2511]

+mysterywhiteboy72 What gave you that conclusion? Most objectivist's are happy, functional people.

[@himmyhendrix845]

I’d cry if they brought this series back

[@euler2589]

I read Ayn Rand when I was young. I wish I had the time back.

[@BonahBBamison]

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

[@JCasR3]

YESS!!!

[@ReddeSpectre]

Yes.

[@ourgreatsociety4965]

I made a video about Fear & Loathing for 4th of July. I examined the theme of the American Dream.

[@bailinnumberguy]

"Roark goes hard in the paint when it comes to his integrity."

[@davidbowen5621]

"We" by Yevgeny Zamaitin

[@jimijames54]

There is nothing more Thug than being able to call out Bullshit in an otherwise boss novel. Well done, sir, well done.

[@StevenCavanaugh]

This was FANTASTIC! This dude's voice is legit. I feel like Busta Rhymes is reading to me. I do want to object to his understanding of "pity" though. It isn't the feeling of "feeling sorry for others." It is the feeling that you should help another, not because you see the potential in him or that you see the good he could do, but that you should help him because you don't see those things in him and without your help he is in danger. It is different. Helping somebody down in their luck because you want them to be able to one day help themselves or another IS virtuous. Helping somebody who is entirely without admirable quality because you feel it is your societal obligation is NOT A VIRTUE. That is what this description of "pity" is about. "Pity" is reliant on the absence of value in the one to be pitied, "Charity" is reliant on the potentiality of value in the beneficiary of the charity.

[@Volstreed]

"Girl got a serious hater streak in her" Looool. 3:51 was a highlight for me, too. The whole video is just good.

[@workandfamily2742]

I miss thug notes 😢

[@theengagedfew]

Pity is dehumanizing, especially in the context that you were quoting, because Roarke was saying of Peter, "It's just so *sad* that this man, who could've made something of himself, chose instead to sell himself off, piece by piece.." What a querulous little worm he is, however, and it must be said that Peter was the product of his choices, and Roarke was right to judge him that way.

[@Artisan_Mc]

Great video brotha. I didn't know any other brother on KZbin and even seen this movie or read the book.

[@MollyOKami]

(8:05 - 8:20) This idea was later expanded upon in *Atlas Shrugged*. The philosopher, teacher, and father-figure to John Galt, Hugh Axton, points-out that we are social and grow through others but not in that way that we're taught. We are a social species, but we our only to be bound by those of our mutual choosing. In a sense, "All men are islands who choose who may be in their archipelago." Case In Point: "It takes a village to raise a child." I *HATE* this phrase! It's been spouted by every [mostly childless] busybody who wants to tell parents they're "doing it wrong." They want to force parents into doing things THEIR way (again, most of whom have no children of their own), but you'll never see them wake up at 3 a.m. to offer to change their neighbor's child's diaper. What a convenient villager they are. On the opposite end of the spectrum, this phrase has been used by every neglectful bastard who has the audacity to call themselves, "a parent." They leave their children in the hands of someone else or expects that tax-paying public to bleed a little more to provide for the children that the community had no control over having. People, even those who follow Ayn Rand's philosophy, want to help others, especially when their helping provides a benefit beyond "feeling good." What they DON'T want is to be exploited. When people help each other, it should be done like any other trade. Both sides should enter voluntarily, with neither external nor internal forces, and agree upon the cost to both parties. When you force people to help, all you succeed in doing is creating hostility, even animosity, between two parties.

[@Ayeohx]

"It takes a village to raise a child." Probably because people use it incorrectly. It's an old African saying. If you think about how village life is, that yeah, it kinda makes sense. Everybody works together to get work done. But the saying doesn't apply to 1st world lifestyles.

[@legoinsomniac]

It's hard to hate Ayn Rand though, cause without Atlas Shrugged, we wouldn't have Bioshock.

[@R3dCha0s]

+Lego Insomniac that's the ONLY good thing that Rand's insanity produces.

[@Ithaka1290]

I'm enjoying reading it just now, disagreeing with most of it, but it's a change from what I'm used to

[@Hey_tojumi]

haha yes

[@Guciom]

+Lego Insomniac We would have Bioshock, only that it would not be set in the Art Deco style world. In the early stages of development the game was meant to take place in an abandoned soviet bunker/research facility.

[@TulipQ]

+Lego Insomniac I mean, that is kinda like saying without Hitler we wouldn't have Wolfenstien, therefore Hitler is difficult to hate.

[@ShineAqua]

I've been missing these lately, thanks for posting a new one.

[@pianoplayer888]

I liked the video a lot - the style is awesome. With the quote about pity at the end though you were a little off. Pity isn't the same as sympathy in Rand's view. You can still feel bad for someone going through a rough time; but having to recognize that somebody has betrayed themselves so much that they're worthless - and being told that feeling this is the height of virtue - is what she thought was messed up. You can also help people out, and be helped out by them - charity isn't a vice, it's just not a virtue; and often times those hands do help out - but nobody else can do your creative work for you. Whatever you make, it's *you* that had to do it; all the helping hands in the world couldn't make Keating into a true Roark - they could only put him into a situation where he could do his thing better. Except Keating had no thing, save copying.

[@frdiehp]

best series on YT

[@skysaunders]

Sparky Sweets delivers a solid critique except for the bit about pity at the end. The ideal man, Howard Roark, recognizes pride not pity as being morally sound. That doesn't mean that he wouldn't express empathy for the misfortune of someone. There is no clash in the acknowledging someone who has experienced a setback and regarding one's own self-worth. By being generous, an individual demonstrates that he or she is benevolent. The antithesis to Miss Rand's philosophy of Objectivism is altruism, or simply, only concerning yourself with others. This type of ideology makes benevolence and and good will impossible. It breeds envy and resentment. The ethically perfect man, Roark, exemplifies the spirit of youth, the efficacy of human intelligence, and the thoroughness of the thought of individualism.

[@jeffbeamer9882]

"Roark don't flow with that mess!"

[@alberta8122]

I'm so happy that this channel is almost at 1 million it deserves it :)

[@flyingfshsndwch]

Thank you for this video, intelligent and balanced as always, "all OGs know that."

[@Rick__C-137]

My. Favorite. Book. of. *ALL* . Time.

[@projectdante6042]

Anthem is my fav ayn rand book can you do that one next. Keep up the good work, thug out

[@williamolsen20]

Really concise analogy, as well as entertaining as hell; kudos to you my good man.

[@randomjoe7160]

This is one of my favorite books of all time and I thought this was a fantastic video, officially love this channel.

[@PinChurch]

"No matter who you are or where you come from, somebody has helped you come along.. all OGs know that" - Wise words!

[@pheresy1367]

Well sign me up as an OG, because I know that..... Awesome! :)

[@artemiasalina1860]

The question is why did they help you, was it purely for your sake or was it for theirs, even partly? If you look closely enough it is almost always the latter.

[@pheresy1367]

@@artemiasalina1860 People do selfless acts sometimes just because..... No calculation of self interest done, just help offered, because that's what some humans do, offer help to the most unworthy, just because it's needed, not because of attaining elevating status, name recognition, or later payback, or rewards in heaven....just help because it's needed. Would you offer someone help without reward... probably not, neither would Ayn Rand, because she was very egotistic and self centered, and has nothing to teach me.

[@artemiasalina1860]

@@pheresy1367 >Would you offer someone help without reward... probably not, Are you aware that Glenn Greenwald has a gofundme for his project in Brazil which is a homeless shelter and a dog rescue? It's unique because he offers the homeless people who stay there jobs taking care of the dogs if they want to, which gives them a sense of self-worth and gets them into the practice of showing up for a job, plus it gives them somewhat of a resume for paying jobs. I've donated to that charity and recommended to others that they do the same. Why would I donate to such a charity and not tell anyone (in the sense of not bragging about it)? I did it because it makes me feel that I'm helping to make the world a better place, and I want to live in a good world. I donate regularly to the Institute for Justice which provides free legal representation to people who are the victims of civil asset forfeiture for the same reason. You kid yourself if you think you don't profit from your acts of charity. You do indeed do it for yourself. This is very different from self-sacrifice, which is what Rand was against, and especially people being forced to sacrifice themselves. Self-sacrifice means exactly what it sounds like; feeling compelled or being forced to provide for others to the point that it harms you. If everyone in a society were compelled to do that it would drag that society down, and more people would be harmed than helped. It would be a form of societal cannibalism.

[@pheresy1367]

@@artemiasalina1860 So... theft, hoarding, cheating, greed.....vs.... charity, altruistic sacrifice, generosity.... they are all somehow the same because they are ALL self interested attributes and behaviors of people. Is that what you are pointing out?

[@DarcVader475]

Can you make a Thug Notes on the short story of "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman?

[@raipogonowski8450]

Love this series keep it up.

[@louisalcantar8522]

could you do And Then There Were None, please. I love this channel by the way

[@Abraxas948]

You guys need to do Steppenwolf by Hesse

[@macmedia1000]

Can you please do Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea.

[@davidjones8043]

I can already tell from the face he making in the thumbnail that this is gonna be good

[@BuFFoTheArtClown]

As an Objectivist, this was a wonderful video. Bravo!

[@MightyMarin]

Do Candide by Voltaire plsss....

[@FightingRimbaud]

This had me in stitches. Great stuff!

[@StellaWaldvogel]

Great summary. And it saves us from the ordeal of reading Ayn Rand.

[@qeoo6578]

Why do u hate her

[@StellaWaldvogel]

@@qeoo6578 Because she pushed the idea that unfettered self-interest is good and altruism is destructive. That's sociopathic.

[@qeoo6578]

@@StellaWaldvogel living for yourself is moral. You only have 1 life & you need to maximize it. You need to pursue your dreams

[@StellaWaldvogel]

@@qeoo6578 When talking about Rand, "living for yourself" and "pursue your dreams" are euphemisms for a failed, hate-driven philosophy that renders its adherents incapable of functioning as contributing members of society, and unfit to spend time in the presence of other people.

[@qeoo6578]

@@StellaWaldvogel wrong. She never said for people to disregard other humans. She believed in trading with other people & she valued all human life. Do you prefer people to live for others?

[@edenmarble8048]

I accidentally bumped my mouse and clicked this. Stayed for the dude's sheer entertainment value. Subscribing cause I need more of this dude in my life.

[@topleetcoder8610]

this is a channel i did not know I needed. thank you :P

[@NamedForANightmare]

I'd love to see you do The Hunchback of Notre-Dame by Victor Hugo, and/or The Monk by Matthew Lewis, two of my favourite books.

[@lilliedoubleyou3865]

Yes - HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME!

[@laurenconrad1799]

Yay! I've been dying for another Thugnotes video. I would love to see more of those Boss Bitch videos, too.

[@debaiona]

Great job, except for the last bit at the end. Not feeling pity for someone (of the type Rand describes) doesn't mean you can't empathize with them. Empathy seems to be what you're attempting to describe, but that's not what Rand was describing. One can empathize with and support someone without pitying them.

[@jacobjohnson7369]

This series is just too good. Accurate and hilarious

[@Doc418]

Great analysis of what I feel is the best work from Ayn Rand.

[@masonrockwood7732]

You clearly haven't read We the Living. It is criminally underrated in her ouvre, and the best-paced of all her fiction.

[@Doc418]

@@masonrockwood7732 I read that book. It's a very immature work to put it nicely.

[@AnthroKnowledgey]

Screw Ayn Rand, but awesome video man. Glad you're back!

[@Tairn79]

When I read this book years ago it honestly bored me to tears. It took me so long to force myself through this book.

[@moorejim13]

Atlas Shrugged next!

[@ekanastone]

He's done it, I'm pretty sure

[@adrianvasilache1460]

Another show of Wisecrack made something about Bioshock and Atlas Shrugged. It does not count, theyre in the same video and only shows the connection of the two.

[@paulgorman2276]

Jsunshine013 Atlas Shrugged - 1929's market crash from the perspective of those who unashamedly crashed it. 'Nuff Said.

[@janeyue7491]

Where?

[@janeyue7491]

I wonder if Dagny Taggart will ever meet John Galt, and escape because she is not allow to search for him. And the fact that her brother is quite the opposite of her is just so... wrong!

[@LOBOPIX]

Just stumbled on this - great approach and graphics(!!!). You could maybe go into schools, or After School Clubs, young peeps would love this. Some serious inspirational originality.

[@lloydbotway5930]

Best and funniest summary of the story I've ever heard.

[@killertofu9188]

Sparky, do you personally read all the books you review? If so, you're realer than Rourke.

[@DodderingOldMan]

Actually one of my favourite books of all time. I urge people who have heard how terrible Ayn Rand is to at least read The Fountainhead and judge it for themselves. Where Atlas Shrugged tries (and basically fails) to apply Rand's philosophy to the world at large, The Fountainhead is more about applying it on a personal, individual level. Given that individuality is at the centre of it all, it's natural that it works better that way. Rand doesn't advocate never helping anyone; she advocates helping people for the right reasons. I don't totally agree with her on what those reasons should be (she had a very black and white perspective with little room for nuance and context), but I still think the point is well made.

[@SuperHipsterGamer]

+Buffoon1980 I'll second the recommendation. In many ways I can't stand Rands views or philosophy, but that can also be a good thing (for me personally). It's definitely the best book by Rand. The lack of nuance is definitely the worst thing about Rand, and is also why her ideals many times ring hollow to the critics. Her ideals almost certainly will lead to personal hypocrisy.

[@nyfutbolfan]

That is like saying that it is better to act consistently at an average or below average level than to try to excel and be ridiculed for being imperfect.

[@DodderingOldMan]

nyfutbolfan I don't think that's necessarily true. I think the hypocrisy being referred to is people who expect a Roark-like level of perfection from others (and the world in general) without being capable of it themselves. Rand might have believed that people and the world were capable of perfection, but I disagree. In fact I think that it's harmful to expect it, as that can lead to willful ignorance of the reasons behind inequality, and hence victim blaming. I also think this view is readily apparent in many social and political circles today.

[@SuperHipsterGamer]

+nyfutbolfan Buffon said what was on my mind far better and much more eloquent than I will ever be able to. Trying to excel is not the same as aspiring for perfection. We are all walking imperfect contradictions. Rand was so herself. She was both anti-authoritarian, and an advocator for the powerful and resourceful.

[@davidthompson6099]

There is a difference between pity and empathy.

[@bedfordsimon8]

not in ayn rands warped universe

[@ConsinityOfficial]

Hilarious and a good summary. Very cool video!

[@TruthGuyOfficial]

Wow! That is the best summary of a book this long i have ever heard... great job!

[@tsukinokitsun3]

Still teasing Fight Club... /dies >n

[@WisecrackEDU]

+Serah Don't talk about it! ;)

[@DoReMi123acb]

+Wisecrack I have to say, this book does have some good points, but the overall message of Dogmatism and non-compromise is actually kind of backwards. Compromise is a part of life and flexibility is better than rigidity. Steadfastness and being opinionated are good things, but taking them to extremes is never a good thing. Always stick to moderate side.

[@1mag1nat1vename]

+Egie Asemota I basically agree with you. What I want to add is that she idealizes an immature rejection of anyone else's opinion and of personal change. She is also self centered and wants everyone else to be that way too.

[@DoReMi123acb]

1mag1nat1vename oh yeah! I hear that. Her later life situation was definitely ironic considering her opinions.

[@saddam__hussein]

what are you talking about

[@warrengday]

Best one you've done.

[@ouroboros78]

Do 'The Sandman' by Neil Gaiman

[@jordansprackman6059]

I have been wondering if there were any critics on KZbin who know what they are talking about and have a good personality. Keep it up!

[@maxmair8416]

This was brilliant. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Thank you.